Clonabreany House opened its doors last week and I was lucky enough to get invited to the launch party (yes, they had champagne!) The place is steeped in history as it was the house of the Wade family in the wake of the Cromwellian Settlement. Clonabreany House and Courtyard lie at the gateway to the Boyne Valley in Clonabreany near Crossakiel Co. Meath. It is roughly about an hour from Dublin (depending on traffic) but is quite remote and as they say themselves – “quintessentially Irish”.
The historic Georgian property is surrounded by traditional farms and Irish countryside which would provide a great backdrop to wedding photos. The restored courtyard has 10 self contained houses, (which can sleep up to 90 people!)
A fantastic feature of this private wedding venue is that it has a cosy little sibín bar apart from the main house, which would be a winner with any late-night wedding guests!! (We certainly put it to good use after the launch party!) It is full of old time country character.
Clonabreany House itself is joined to a permanent semi solid marrquee fully fitted for weddings. The marquee has a funky black & white tiled dance floor and private dining facilities and can cater for up to 200 guests. The main houses boast four reception rooms and three bedrooms – the bridal suite is HUGE and the bathroom has a free standing bath.
The restoration of this property truely has been a labour of love for the owner and so much work and effort has been put into the place, that is clear. However, now that it is finished, the most important thing about this venue for any bride is the team behind the scenes. Events at the property are being managed by GK Events under the careful eye of Gary Keating and the day-to-day operations is being handled by Lorna Murphy who has extensive experience is organising large-scale events such as festivals and corporate hospitality. Lorna is really hands-on and is going to be making sure that the weddings run smoothly for the bride and groom. Another point to note, is that the food and Catering at Clonabreany House will be cooked personally and overseen exclusively by Euro-toques chef Gerard Meade. He is a prominent local chef from Navan with twenty five years experience in hotels and restaurants both in Ireland and abroad. I met him at the launch and it really comes across that his passion is for locally grown and produced food and seasonality of ingredients. They even had stands on the night exhibiting some of the local food producers and suppliers who treated us to the most delicious cheeses, crab claws and cold meats.
Something that will be very attractive to many couples looking at this venue is that it offers the bride and groom and their wedding party complete exclusivity and privacy for their special day.
What do you think of a private hire venue like Clonabreany for your own wedding? Give us your thoughts in the comments!